"Mass VSF Rules for Non-gamers" Topic

I've got a pair of armies for Martian Empires that I've used a few times. I like the rules, and had fun with them.

The people I can potentially play with just aren't miniatures gamers, though. To them, Martian Empires is too slow, and too traditional.

What I'd really like is something like Command and Colors, or something similar, that is unit-based, that can handle about 300-400 miniatures on a table-top, and that will allow a battle to be finished in 3-4 hours.

Any suggestions?

Battle Masters?
PDF link

Battle Masters is actually not a bad idea. I haven't played it since my daughters were in kindergarden, but we all had a great time.

GASLIGHT has a big battle version called Battles by GASLIGHT that might work. The system is easy to learn and pretty flexible.

Seems to me you answered your own question. Just adapt command and colors. It might take 5 minutes to come up with the chrome and typesetting the cards maybe an hour.

Alternatively, look at "To the Strongest"

Designed for ancients, it uses a grid, and playing cards instead of dice. It is very straight forward and very fun.

Alternatively, the Osprey skirmish series (Lion Rampant, Dragon Rampant et. al.) are a hoot. For colonials, I use one base of 6mm troops as "two" figures and mark hits. I have run large 6 player games that way. You'd just need to write the army lists.

Volley and Bayonet

I would suggest Battlecry – there are a lot of scenarios online for colonial scenarios for the game and Martian Empires is essentially a colonial game. Looking at the colonial setup should give you ideas for adapting it to VSF

Mike

I agree that Volley and Bayonet is easily convertable to just about anything.

HOTT? HOTT 2? Simply because I'm quite sure The Soldier's Companion isn't for non-gamers, and I don't know how big Leviathans can go (the semiliteracy and poor mathematics throws me off).

HOTT would work superbly.